Campaign Collectibles: Running for Congress Exhibition

  • U.S. Capitol, Subway Mezzanine
  • 2020–2023

With elections every two years, campaigning has a prominent role in the more than 200 years of history of the House of Representatives. Hopeful Representatives handed out a variety of items—from handbills in the early 19th century to balloons, buttons, tools, and more in the 20th century—to keep their names and faces in the public eye. This exhibit shows the trends and timeless classics used in promotional campaign swag to catch voters’ attention.

Campaign Collectibles: Running for Congress Exhibition/tiles/non-collection/e/ex_campaigns_about_composite.xml Images courtesy of the Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives